Fairy fort / earthen ringfort in Ardbraccan

Situated on a slight S-facing slope and at the N edge of a marshy area. Archaeological testing (04E0584) by N. Fairburn (2004) at Testing Area 11 of Contract 3 of the M3 motorway identified archaeological material (excavations.ie 2004:1158) that was excavated (E003116) by M. Mossop (Mossop et al. 2009) as Ardbraccan 2 (excavations.ie 2006:1487) during May to July 2006 when a fulacht fia, a rath with internal hut-sites, and an external hearth and cereal drying kiln were recorded. Elements of four field systems were also present. A D-shaped enclosure (int. dims 42m E-W; 33m N-S) with the straight side at S was defined by a wide ditch (Wth c. 3-3.5m; D 0.67-1.1m) that has a U-shaped profile, but the fosse seems to have been cut in five straight sections. A charred barley grain from the ditch provided a C14 date of 780-991 cal. AD (Beta 247121). The ditch had been re-cut in a few places, especially around a narrow entrance causeway (Wth 1m) with an inner gate-post at SE and a wider metalled surface (Wth c. 5m) sinking across the partially filled fosse at N. Internal features such as drains respected an otherwise invisible bank (Wth c. 2m) that may have been stone-faced in places. A slot-trench (L 14.9m) running parallel with the inner edge of the ditch at W may have held a palisade that would have retained the outer face of the bank, but a sample of charred hazel from it was contaminated with the fulacht fia material beneath as it produced a C14 date of 1430-1260 cal. BC (Beta 247118). Very little animal bone was recovered from the ditch, but the pollen was dominated by grasses although cereals and cultivation weeds were also present. Pottery, glass and metal artefacts from the uppermost fills suggest that the ditch would have been open and visible into the post-medieval period. A large oval hut-site (int. dims 8.5m N-S; 5.5m E-W) defined by a drip-gully (Wth 1.2m; D 0.2m) was at the centre of the rath. It had an internal hearth (dims 0.7m x 0.4m; D 0.09m) and there was a pit (dims 1.92m x 0.66m; D 0.1m) at its centre. A sample of charred barley from the hearth provided a C14 date of 657-862 cal. AD (Beta 247122), and the fire cut a possible corn-drying kiln which was a keyhole-shaped pit (dims 2.1m x c 0.48m; D 0.21m) beneath it. An entrance to the hut-site is not identified but its perimeter is cut by later N-S features at E and W, which might have removed evidence of it. An annexe was added to the hut-site at S in a curving drip-gully (L 16.2m; Wth 1.8m; D 0.18m) that enclosed a D-shaped area (dims c. 6m N-S; c. 5m N-S). The extension had a central posthole, and a small iron axe and a stone lamp were recovered from it. Charred cereal grains and burnt animal bones were also associated with the extension. In the E part of the rath interior a small circular hut-site (ext. diam. c. 4m plus) is defined by a drip-gully (Wth 0.37m; D 0.13m ) that may have been open to the S although much of the feature remains outside the excavated area. An external pit (dims 0.43m x 0.39m; D 0.23m) is probably associated with this feature. The rath interior was divided by a N-S ditch (Wth 0.91m; D 0.19m to Wth 2.08m; D 0.63m) cutting the E edge of the central hut-site, but there is a gap (Wth 2m) allowing passage between the two sections of the rath created by the ditch. The fill contained animal bones, and a radiocarbon determination of 687-937 cal. AD (Beta 247123) was returned from a sample of ash charcoal in the fill. Outside the rath, two small pits to the SE and two hearths to the S could be associated with it. A sample of maloideae from one of the hearths provided a C14 date of 614-771 cal. AD (Beta 247124). South of the rath a hearth (dims 1m x 0.8m) that was cut by an E-W ditch from the third field system included burnt bone, heat-cracked stone and charcoal. A sample of Maloideae from it provided a C14 date of 614-771 cal. AD (Beta 247124). About 10m to the S there was also what might be a keyhole-shaped cereal-drying kiln (dims 2m x 0.9m; D 0.3m) that was cut by a N-S ditch from the second field system. It had an oxidized base and contained fills of charred oats, barley and wheat seeds as well as burnt animal bone. A C14 date of 647-775 cal. AD (Beta 247125) was derived from a sample of cherry charcoal. (Mossop et al. 2009, 4-7) See the attached interpretive plan from Mossop et al. (2009 fig. 18) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 25 March 2022